Check-book-stub holder.



M. P. EXLINE.

CHECK BOOK STUB HOLDER.

APPLICATION man AUGJ, 191s.

Patented Apr. 10, 1917.

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' not wish to be limited to the MARCUS P. EXLINE, 01: DALLAS, TEXAS.

CHECK-BOOK-STUB HOLDER.

Application filed August 1, 1916.

'1 '0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MARCUS P. EXLINE, a citizen of the United States,residing at Dallas, in the county of Dallas and State of Texas, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Check-Book-Stub Holders;and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, such as will en able others skilled in theart to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to book binding, and more especially to leafholders; and the object of the same is to produce a device for holdingback the used stubs in a check book when writing new checks or postingthe old stubs. Details of construction appear in the followingspecification and are shown in the drawings wherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a check book held open by this device;Fig. 2 is an enlarged perspective detail of the device itself viewedfrom below; and Fig. 3 is a plan view of the blank from which the deviceis formed.

The device is made of rather stiff metal of proper size, ornamentation,and finish, stamped initially into a blank as best seen in Fig. 3, thenbent into the form shown in Fig. 2, and finally used in the mannerillustrated in Fig. 1 and described below; and essentially it comprisesa claw, a shank, and a yielding tongue bent under and coacting with theshank to form a spring clip. I do size or exact shape of parts, nor tothe metal used nor the finish thereof, but it is quite obvious that thedevice can be made neat in appearance so that it will be an ornament tothe desk rather than otherwise.

The general contour of the claw 1 is by preference initially rectangularand slotted for sake of lightness as shown at the lower end of Fig. 3,and in'the finished article it is bent as seen in Fig. 2, its extremitybeing forked or divided into a number of toes 2 which are intended topass astride the staples or other fastening devices ofthe book binding.The tips of the toes are provided with projections 3 which rise fromthem as seen in Fig. 1, whereas the bodies of the toes are provided withother projections 4 which depend from them and which therefore appear inFig. 2all projections being formed in any suitable manner as by stampingthem up from the metal.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 11), 1917. Serial No. 112,623.

The shank 5 is integrally continued from the upper end or the heel ofthe claw 1, and the combined length of the upper portion of the claw andthe entire shank is greater than that of the stub from the stitching tothe perforated edge. For sake of lightness it may also be provided withan opening or slot 6. In the finished article this shank overlies theclaw as seen, by reason of the bend imparted to such claw.

The tongue 7 projects integrally from the upper end of the shank, thanwhich it may be a little smaller in width as seen, the finished devicebeing bent over on about the line 8 as illustrated in Fig. 2; and withinthe length of the tongue it may well be provided with a thumb piece suchas a disk 9. Its remote end is again bent over on about the line 10 toform a clip 11, and the extremity of said clip may be coiled as at 12.

In Fig. 1 I have shown this invention as applied to a check book,whereof C are the checks, S the unused stubs, and U the used stubs,although it is quite obvious that the device could be used on otherbooks whose stubs or pages were intended to be turned back so as toexpose a certain page as indicated in the drawing collectively by theletters S, C. Having out out the blank as shown in Fig. 3, it is bentinto approximately the shape illustrated in the other views, and the useof this device on a check book is as follows: The used stubs U are laidback with the left hand, and the curved claw 1 grasped in the right handand its toes 2 pushed into the binding astride the staples or otherfastening devices therein, the upstanding projections 3 engaging beneaththe outermost used stub and the depending projections 4i sinkingslightly into the exposed stub S. The obvious purpose of theseprojections is to hold the device in this position. The bend of thesestubs now lies in the bend of the claw, and the shank 5 overlies suchstubs and holds them back as shown in Fig. 1, and new checks and stubscan be written without the danger that the old ones will fly down ontothe fresh ink and smear it. Also the stubs can be posted at this time,even if some of them have not been included under the device. By this Imean that if the device is used when the check book is to be posted, itwill be inserted among the used stubs between those which were formerlyposted and those yet to be posted, and as the bookkeeper posts thelatter one by one they are laid back over the shank '5 and slipped underthe clip 11 whose tendency is to press them into gentle contact with theshank or the upper end of the claw, and in this way quite a number ofstubs can be posted without removing the toes from the binding. Afterthe use of this device it is withdrawn and laid aside and the check bookis closed and laid away. \Vithout further illustration it will be quiteobvious that the toes of the claw could be stuck into the binding of anybook and the shank would hold its leaves open at any place desired. Iconsider it desirable that the claw be given a rather gentle bend withinits length, the obvious reason being because an. abrupt bend. within theclaw would find resistance if the used stubs were too numerous.

The thumb piece may be grasped for rais- -.ing the tongue and clip whenone or more stubs under the latter are to be freed.

What I claim is: V V

1. A check book stub holder made of stiff sheet metal comprising ashank, means at its lower end for attaching it to the book, and anintegral tongue extending from the upper end of the shank, bent down,and normally contacting with the shank, for the purpose set forth.

2. A check book stub holder made of stifi sheet metal comprising ashank, means at its lower end for attaching it to the book, and anintegral tongue consisting of a strip extending from the upper end ofthe shank and having a thumb piece within its length, the remote end ofthe tongue normally contacting with the shank to form a clip, for thepurpose set forth.

3. A device for use in a check book comprising a curved claw having toesat its lower end adapted to be inserted in the binding of the stubs andupright projections from the tips of the'toes for holding them in place,a shank rising integrally from the other end of the claw, and means forholding the used stubs open.

4:. A device for use in a check book comprisinga claw having at itslower end toes for entering the binding of the book, pro- Copies of thispatent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing theWashington, D. 0.

' sheet metal comprising a shank, an integral claw at its lower endadapted to enter the binding of the book, and a clip carried by theupper end of the shank and bent into normal contact therewith, for thepurpose 7 set forth.

6. A check book stub holder comprising a shank, a claw at its lower endadapted to enter the binding of the book, and a tongue extending fromthe shank, the remote end of the tongue being bent into a clip normallycontacting with the shank, for the purpose set forth.

7 A check book sheet metal comprising a claw at its lower end adapted toenter the stub holder made of stiff shank, an integral binding of thebook, and an integral tongue consisting of a strip extending from theupper end of the shank, having a thumb piece within its length, and withits remote end bent into a clip normally contacting with the shank, forthe'purpose set forth.

8. A device for holding the used stubs of a check book in open positioncomprlsing a curved claw having a forked lower end adapted to beinserted shank, a tongue rising rigidly from and extending over theshank andused stubs for holding them open, and means at the remote endof the tongue stubs. I

9. A device for use on the stubs of a check book comprising a shank, acurved claw at one end thereof having toes adapted to be inserted in thebinding, means on the toes for holding them in place, and means carriedby the other end of the shank for holding the used stubs open.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in the presence of twowitnesses.

MARCUS P. EXLINE. Witnesses:

A. J. BOEDEFELD, M. L. SHEPHERD.

Commissioner of Patents,

in the binding, a'

for clasping subsequent

